Thanks to recent Grants for the Arts funding from Arts Council England artists from DAISY will be making model craft inspired by the work of James Henry Pullen, artist and long stay resident at the Royal Earlswood Asylum (1850-1916). This will be in response to an exhibition of Pullen’s amazing model fantasy craft and other artworks, titled ‘James Henry Pullen: Inmate – Inventor – Genius’ that opens at the Watts Gallery on 19 June 2018.

Against a current background of considerable post-Brexit uncertainty, an installation of the new work called ‘Flotilla’, created by DAISY artists, will feature model craft of a wide range of shapes, sizes, colour and complexity, and will carry the hopes and dreams of disabled people when exhibited at the Art Fund Prize Gallery at Woking Lightbox from 23 October. The four walls of the gallery will be adorned with a textile wall hanging designed and made by PrintAble artists from Ochre Print Studios. Alongside work created for Flotilla,Chris Pavia from Stopgap Dance Co will create an original piece of dance choreography, based upon Pullen’s famous giant puppet. A performance of Pavia’s choreography will be performed at Watts Gallery in September as part of their Making festival, and then again at the opening of Flotilla at the Lightbox in October.

Support for DAISY’s Flotilla project is being given by Disability Arts Online, who will be posting blogs, pictures and commentary relating to the project and the Pullen exhibition.

Karl Newman, Arts Programme Manager, Surrey Arts said: ‘It is really exciting to see fabulous local galleries like Watts and Lightbox working together to support artists with disabilities from the DAISY network. I’m really looking forward to seeing the work that is created as a result of this project. It is important that DAISY artists are being provided with this platform to share their work, particularly at this time of uncertainty.’

As part of this project we are seeking a lead artist. For more information and how to apply please visit the Opportunities section of our website or click here!

Our Future Selves in 2017 was a great success, thanks to our supportive partners Surrey Libraries and DAO (Disability Arts Online). Through efficient working and a willingness to continue from the team we are happy to announce that we will be continuing the project into 2018. We look forward to delivering more creative writing workshops over the next few months, and producing a publication of all the poetry written in the sessions.

In the meantime, here are some great pictures taken by photographers Ben Small and Chris of OFS workshops and performances in 2017.

Our Future Selves brings together Daisy (Disability Arts in Surrey) and DAO (Disability Arts Online) with Surrey Libraries to deliver a series of spoken word events across the county in Autumn 2017. Local disability organisations will have the opportunity to take part in free, bookable DAO writer lead workshops, which encourage participants to explore their perceptions of the future. In the afternoon there will be free spoken word performances by DAO artists with slots available for budding performers. Throughout the events the public will be able to engage with installations created by Arts Matters (Woking, Redhill, Epsom) and The Grange (Woking, Farnham, Guildford).